I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protective structure for vehicle electrical components for protecting electrical components mounted on the vehicle floor.
II. Background
The vehicle industry is facing a departure from oil out of concern for the depletion of oil resources and global warming, and the focus of development has been shifting toward electric vehicles (EVs) as well as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). These vehicles can travel without emitting exhaust gas since their motors are driven by power stored in a high-voltage battery (lithium-ion secondary battery).
At present, these vehicles often employ a configuration in which high-voltage electrical components such as a charger, a DC/DC converter, an EV controller, and a high-voltage battery are disposed on the vehicle floor in the vicinity of the rear seat. For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-331719, a floor panel constituting a vehicle floor is provided with a recessed part, and a battery is disposed in the recessed part.
High-voltage electrical components may stop functioning if they are exposed to water, and therefore examination is underway on technology for preventing water exposure. For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-331719, the recessed part provided in the floor panel is provided with a water draining hole so as to suppress a situation in which water that has entered the recessed part infiltrates the battery.
However, merely providing a water draining hole as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-331719 does not enable preventing high-voltage electrical components from being exposed to water infiltrating from above. In particular, DC/DC converters and EV controllers may stop functioning due to the adhesion of water droplets that have fallen from above, and other high-voltage electrical components may also stop functioning if they become submerged due to water infiltrating from above.
The present invention has been achieved in light of the above-described problem, and an object thereof is to provide a protective structure for vehicle electrical components that can prevent the infiltration of water from above and reliably protect an electrical component (high-voltage electrical component).